A deadly cobra lived by a field, a menace to local cowherds and cattle.
A sage passed by the field one day. The cowherds warned him about the snake.
He calmly assured he would not be harmed, as he knew a pacifying mantra. The sage calmed the cobra into a docile earthworm at his feet. The kind sage taught the snake to regularly repeat an affirmation to overcome his violent nature, and to stop biting people.
The spiritualised snake complied.
The cowherds noticed the difference. They tested the cobra's response by stoning it and then seizing its tail, dashing the poor creature on the rocks. The bruised pacifist cobra barely survived.
After a while, the sage returned to the field. On asking about the cobra he was told it was probably dead.
But the sage sought out the cobra, and seeing his derelict condition, he enquired about the reason.
The cobra replied it was due the change in his diet, he was now a vegetarian, living on leaves and harming nobody, not even assailants. The cobra, practising the virtue of forgiveness, did not rat on the violent cowherds.
The sage patted the cobra on the head and kindly reminded him that he was asked not to bite.
'But you must hiss to scare the assailants and protect yourself. That is spiritual and worldly wisdom'.
[adapted from 'The Parables of Ramakrishna']
